A Matter of Reverence

I am reading 2 Sam 6. Abinadab had the Ark of the Covenant in his house for 20 years yet the Bible never speaks of his household being blessed. Abinadab means father of the nobles. He was already a wealthy man. He gained his wealth by his might or as an inheritance from his ancestors.

Abinadab had in his possession the Ark of the Covenant, but what did this gold-clad ark mean to him? He did not dishonor it as the Palestinians had done when it was in their possession. He did not place in on a shelf next to an idol god as they did. He understood it to be something of value. Perhaps he sat it on display in a place of prominence in his home, like a great work of art. Surely, Abinadab was honored and proud to have the Ark as his prized possession.

When David, the king of Israel, came for the ark, he came with an entourage of celebrators. David or Abinadab's household built a luxurious new cart to carry the ark. It must have been a thing of beautiful. Anyone would attest that it had been provided by someone of great wealth. But God said that the ark was to be carried humbly on the shoulders of Levites.

Abinadab’s sons walked before the Ark. His family was being honored as having kept the Ark for all those years. Ahio took the lead. Ahio means brother. So brotherly, friendly went before the Ark. Ahio is a shortened form of Ahijah, which means friend of God. But God is cut out of Ahio's name. His name only meant friend, in general. He was a friend of anyone, of everyone. He was the people's friend. How often do we “serve God” but leave God out of it?

Uzzah, meaning strength, walked alongside. Uzzah's presence spoke that the strength of men would accomplish this task. But God said, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit.

David had much pomp and circumstance, singing, dancing, and celebrating.  But God said, "They that worship me, must worship me in spirit and in truth." David failed to seek the truth, what God said about it.

God is not your treasured heirloom! He is not pleased by the rose petals you cast at his feet. He is not impressed by the Bentley you drive, nor by your Lear jet. He is not moved by your well-dressed wardrobe. You have built a great edifice. You have a huge following. You say, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing!" But you do not understand that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. You think that because you attend church more and give offerings larger than “the Joneses” that God is satisfied? God is only satisfied when you do what he has asked of you.

Then this group of celebrators came to the threshing floor, where the chaff is separated from the wheat seed. They came to Nakhon, meaning the sharp point of the spear. This is the proving ground. There, the oxen stumbled, and the ark began to fall. Uzzah reached to catch it and was struck dead because of his irreverence. God said that he should not touch the ark. But we think we know better than God. We may have good intentions but we cannot serve God in disobedience. We must serve God as he desires to be served, not pleasing ourselves but pleasing him. He wants a broken and contrite heart.

This mass of celebrators began to mourn and disbanded to their homes. Then the ark went to the home of Obed-Edom, a Levite, whose name means Servant of the Blood. He lived in Gath, the city of the wine press. In the 3 months Obed-Edom had the ark, he and his house was blessed. It doesn’t take God long to bless us. Time is wasted in our irreverence.

This indicates that the 20 years Abinadab and his house had the ark, God was treated with irreverence.  And today, churches have a form of godliness, but there is no power within. They go through the motions of serving God, but serve themselves and their leaders. They have their own agenda, and treat God with irreverence and irrelevance.

Obed-Edom understood the ark and what it represented. He treated the ark with the reverence God required. And in response, God blessed. Obed-Edom and his household drew nigh to God, and God drew nigh to them. By his name, I understand that Obed-Edom humbled himself before God, repented, and sprinkled blood offerings on the ark.

David took notice of God’s blessings upon Odem-Edom, then researched what God required as reverence. He came again to retrieve the ark. This time the ark was carried humbly on the shoulders of God’s anointed men, his priests called for this purpose. David himself dressed in priestly attire, rather than kingly attire. He presented himself as God's servant.

The priest took six steps, 6 representing the number of man and the number of days of creation. Then they stopped, rested, and offered God a blood sacrifice of oxen. The blood was sprinkled on the ark. Drops of blood fell on the priest and on David. David danced with all his might before God. Again and again they did this. The men carrying the ark were walking in blood.

The Lord is a lamp unto my feet. What do I see in that light? I see that my every step is in the blood of Jesus. Blessings come to those who are a servant of the blood.

You can have the ark in your house for years and never see the blessings of God. Until you remember Christ's death, the sacrifice He made, the cost of your salvation, honor the sacredness of his blood, be washed in his blood, come boldly to God drenched in his blood, you shall not have God’s presence and his blessings.

Psalms 105:37 says that none of the Children of Israel were poor or feeble when they came out of Egypt.  But they were slaves! They were poor, hungry, and feeble when they took shelter in their homes on the Passover. But AFTER spending a night being covered with the blood of the lamb, conditions changed. Christ's blood makes the difference. The change from slave to free, from poor to rich, from feeble to whole was completed in one night. This is your wealth, your riches, your miracles, your wisdom, your freedom — the blood of Christ. Cherish it.